Bradley

Chubb

Chubb was a late addition to the injury report. The team added him on Friday, listing him as a limited participant before designating him as questionable for Week 11. Chubb has five sacks this year. Inactive for the Dolphins are QB Quinn Ewers, CB Rasul Douglas, LB Andre Carter, WR Dee Eskridge, and DT Matthew Butler.

Chubb was a surprise addition to Friday’s report and was listed as limited. It’s never a good sign when a player is added to Friday’s report, so Chubb’s status will be one to watch when inactives are announced 90 minutes before kickoff. The veteran pass rusher has totaled 28 tackles, five sacks, and five TFLs this season after missing all of 2024 due to a torn ACL. If he’s unable to go on Sunday, veteran Matt Judon could see an uptick in snaps after playing in a limited role for most of the season. In addition to Chubb, the Dolphins also listed WR Dee Eskridge (shoulder) and CB Rasul Douglas (foot/ankle) as questionable for Week 11.

The Cowboys appear intent on adding pass rush help after trading away Micah Parsons to the Packers this offseason, with Schultz going so far as to say, “a deal is getting done somewhere.” it is public knowledge that the Bengals are seeking a first round pick in exchange for Hendrickson, making it slightly more likely the Cowboys eventually land either Wilson or Chubb in the coming hours ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline. Stay tuned to see how this situation unfolds.

Interim GM Champ Kelly has five days to orchestrate some moves before Tuesday’s trade deadline. The Dolphins are sitting on a 2-7 record and have several players who could be of interest to contenders, with Chubb and Phillips likely topping the list in a league that covets pass rushers. Chubb, who has totaled four sacks this season, is still under contract through the 2027 season, while Phillips’ contract is set to expire at the end of this season. Phillips has managed three sacks in the nine games he has appeared in. After hesitating to pull the trigger on any trade requests before Week 9’s loss to the Ravens, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Dolphins looked to deal some players in hopes of recouping draft picks entering the offseason.

Chubb missed the entire 2024 season with a torn ACL, meniscus, and patellar tendon injury he sustained at the end of the 2023 regular season. EDGE Jaelan Phillips, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury in October, was also participating during Miami’s OTAs as he makes his way back from yet another serious injury. A fully-healthy Chubb and Phillips would be a much-needed addition to a Dolphins defense that last year had the league’s ninth lowest QB pressure rate and was graded by Pro Football Focus as the NFL’s 11th worst pass rushing unit.

Chubb missed the entirety of the 2024 NFL season after tearing his ACL, patellar tendon and meniscus in 2023. The restructure reduces his base salary but keeps his prior contract’s full earnings potential of $21 million intact via “various playtime and sack incentives.”

Jackson writes that keeping Chubb on his current contract, which has a $28.6 million cap hit, is “unrealistic” for Miami. The team could designate him as a post-June 1 cut and save $19 million in cap space, but that money wouldn’t free up until after June 1 and thus couldn’t help the Dolphins in the initial wave of free agency. If the Dolphins instead were able to talk Chubb, who missed all of last season after a devastating late-2023 knee injury, into a pay cut, they could use that money at the start of free agency. That’s the exact script that worked on Terron Armstead last week. Chubb is entering his age-29 season and is coming off an 11-sack season in 16 games in 2023, so if teams believe he’s healthy, he would make for an interesting free agent.

His three-week window expires later this week. McDaniel said that Chubb wasn’t ready to “be the player he expects” after working on his torn ACL, patellar tendon, and meniscus for three weeks. Chubb is due a $29.3 million cap number in 2025 and could be a potential target for a post-June 1 cut if the Dolphins are looking to free up cap space. Releasing him normally would save the Dolphins just $1.9 million.

Chubb practiced in a limited capacity all week. If active, expect the Dolphins to keep the veteran pass rusher on a snap count. Chubb is impressively returning from a multi-tissue knee injury that probably could have been a career-ender in some cases.

Chubb’s delayed return now makes a lot of sense. This is significantly more complex than a clean ACL tear. Whether Chubb suits up soon remains to be seen but he is likely to be eased into action upon his return. The 6-7 Dolphins are currently on the playoff bubble, ranking ninth in the AFC playoff picture.